NEW YORK—Registration is still open for today's next virtual Vision Monday Leadership Summit sessions, the latest in the 2021 series. Today's dynamic session will bring together a range of speakers from outside the industry and within the eyecare and optical retail space who will examine how the global pandemic has rewritten the fundamental rules of customer/patient engagement for both retailers and healthcare providers. Themed "Retail and Healthcare: UPENDED! Ripping Up the Rulebook," it will be broadcast initially from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST via a unique VM Summit virtual platform.

All details for registration are posted here. Registration includes attendance to the virtual broadcasts, full access to the VM Summit virtual platform, networking, on-demand viewing, door prizes, and exclusive access to attendees-only content after the event. Registration is free for eyecare professionals and optical retailers.
 
Today's program kicks off with What’s The Store For? Leading innovative design and customer relationship expert, Melissa Gonzalez, founder/CEO, Lion’esque Group is a well-known retail influencer who helps brands and retailers create novel experiences which integrate the digital and the physical and bring customers into immersive experiences that drive excitement in "new" physical store environments.

A special part of today's program is Welcome To The Metaverse! A New Destination for Shoppers and Brands, which offers VM Summit attendees an exciting glimpse of this new digital world that combines virtual and physical dimensions for a totally new experience. The metaverse is challenging ideas of learning, retailing, experience and brand messaging in a range of fields from gaming to fashion to sports to socializing, music, film and culture. This is a fast-take intro about this new phenomenon and what everyone needs to know about how AR, VR and new tech is going to change, well, everything.
 
Attendees will see a special video created for the VM Leadership Summit by consumer technology expert and VEG Group founder Robin Raskin, plus a conversation with two experts: Chick Foxgrover, EVP, Technology & Innovation of 4A’s and noted metaverse retail and branding expert Cathy Hackl. They will share their insights with VM’s Andrew Karp about the potential of the metaverse and the opportunities it offers brands.

These session will be followed by an informative program with a Special Panel: How ECPS and Retailers Are Embracing Rapid Change. Vision Monday's Marge Axelrad will moderate this discussion with Mick Hall, vice president Bard Optical, Brian Chou, OD of Revision Optometry, Aaron Schubach, CEO of Standard Optical and Michael Bender, CEO, Eyemart Express.

This year's four-part Summit series of conversations and presentations took place under the theme "Creative Disruption." They included "VirtualEYZE!," first held in June, which was a focused look at the opportunities for telehealth to expand eyecare's boundaries, and "ALL CONSUMED," held in August, a deep and fascinating dive into the new consumer mindset in a lot of areas. Last week's Retail & Healthcare: Upended! session took a look at Rebuilding Trust, Remote Possibilities and What Healthcare Can Learn from Retail. Each brought great and different speakers plus enlightening conversation from ECP/retailer panels. Registered users can access these on-demand, in full or in part, through the end of the year.

New registrations are available at no charge for optometrists, opticians, ophthalmologists and students. New registrations are available for $198 to non-ECPs.

The Platinum Sponsors of the 2021 VM Leadership Summit are EssilorLuxottica, Healthy Eyes Advantage-PECAA and VSP Global Premier Program. The Gold Sponsor is The Vision Council's Vision Health Alliance and the Silver Sponsors are Alcon and Ocuco.